Depending on which part of the season you choose to embrace — the 2-6 start or the 7-2 finish — the Steelers are either a team in trouble or one on the rise.
Depending on which aspect of the offense is to be believed — the one that averaged a meager 1.6 touchdowns per game and had the fewest 40-yard plays in the NFL or the one that wrapped up the season out-rushing two of the league's top running teams — the unit is either in need of a new coordinator or taking baby steps in the right direction.
Depending on which element of the defense is to be trusted — the one that rose from 32nd to as high as fifth against the run or the unit that had trouble with big-play receivers — the Steelers are either close to being the great and dominant defense that Mike Tomlin expected or in need of a couple more pieces in the draft.
No matter your perspective, one thing is certain: The Steelers were a 9-8 team in 2022, which is slightly above average, C+ for those into grades. While it was the first time they missed the postseason in three years, it was also continuing a disturbing trend that has seen them go 19-21-1 in their past 41 games, dating to the 2020 season. That is slightly below average, a C- grade.
Not a good look for a franchise whose stated annual goal is the Super Bowl. Instead, they have been as ordinary as grits.
The Steelers proved two things in 2022: They were more than capable of winning games against teams with similar or worse records. Seven of their nine victories were against the teams who finished with worse records. The only team they beat that had a winning record when they played them was the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17, and that was without Lamar Jackson.
Conversely, they also proved they are not ready to play with the best teams in the league, such as the Buffalo Bills (38-3), Philadelphia Eagles (35-13), even the Cincinnati Bengals (37-30). If nothing else, their defense proved they were not capable of keeping any of those top teams below 35 points.
The question now is, are they ready to play with those teams in 2023? Are they ready to challenge the Bengals for the division title?
The immediate answer is no, principally because they lack what each of those top teams possess — explosiveness on offense.
The Steelers were the only team in the league to have only three plays longer than 40 yards (all passes). Their longest touchdown was 31 yards. Of their 28 total touchdowns (second-fewest in the league), 21 were less than 10 yards.
And that's an issue the Steelers have to address with Matt Canada, who in two years as offensive coordinator has averaged 19.1 points per game. That is 7.5 points per game fewer than what they averaged in the 2020 season with Randy Fichtner as offensive coordinator. And, for that, Fichtner's contract was not renewed.
Canada has a year remaining on his contract. It appears, though it is not etched in stone, he will return for another season. The four-game winning streak to close the season and the steady development of rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett has likely saved him from enduring a fate similar to Fichtner.
Without question, Pickett's progress is the most important aspect to be gleaned from the season. As a rookie, he showed he is capable of playing mistake-free football — just one interception in the final eight games — and can rally the team to a comeback victory in the waning moments of a game. He did it three times in the final six games, most impressively in the final minute against the Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders.
There was much concern after the 2021 season over how the Steelers would fare without Ben Roethlisberger. Getting to find their quarterback for the future — or so it would appear — cannot be trumpeted enough.
But the reason Pickett was allowed to develop is the same reason the Steelers missed the playoffs. He was inserted in the lineup sooner than planned — at halftime of a Week 4 game against the New York Jets — and sooner than he was ready. The result was costly interceptions against the Jets and two weeks later in Miami: Six total, five in the second half, four in the fourth quarter.
Sacrificing victories at the expense of Pickett's development kept the Steelers from the postseason. But, in retrospect, it also allowed him to progress and do what he did in fourth-quarter comebacks against the Colts, Raiders and Ravens. And that has given the Steelers the belief they are a team on the rise.
But are they?
Depending on what it chooses to embrace, the organization has to decide if it is indeed a franchise moving in the right direction or the below-average team that has been on display the past 41 games.
Just depends on the perspective.
